Americans are desperate to save their homes. Donna Larson, of Massachusetts, was indicted Friday with a charge of attempted larceny and perjury for allegedly faking the death of her son serving in the military, and eventually faking her own death to avoid foreclosure. Although Donna has allegedly committed some serious crimes to postpone her home being foreclosed on, she felt, as many other Americans do, that there was nothing left to do to save her home.
This is how our society is responding to the foreclosure crisis. Everyone is so desperate to extend the date on their overdue mortgage payment that it has finally come to this…faking death. It seems that the people that have worked the hardest to supply for their families are being faced with this problem more and more. Homeowners try to get through to their lender again and again but, many loans have been sold and resold so many times that it is impossible to track down.
Foreclosures are at an all time high but that’s not stopping companies from taking advantage of innocent people. Many people are working so hard to supply income to support their lives but, are still facing foreclosure due the hardship of our economy. The most important thing to do when facing foreclosure is research a company before moving forward. In the video clip, Jarvis describes three easy steps to help avoid being taken advantage of.
Watch for Foreclosure Relief Scams
Phantom Help: Out of the blue, a “specialist” will call to have the homeowner pay their company a lot of money to fill out paperwork to help the homeowner avoid foreclosure. This is something that a homeowner can take care of their self. There is no value with this service. The forms they offer to fill out can be done by the homeowner. All this company wants is your money.
Bail Out: Some companies will convince the homeowner to sign over the deed of the home. In return, the homeowner will have to rent their own home from the “bail out” company until the mortgage is paid off. If the homeowner cannot pay off the home loan (which is most likely at a high interest rate) then the company will have you evicted, just as the bank had previously planned on.
Bait and Switch: This scam has been repeated over and over in history. This type of company will have the homeowner sign documents to make them the home mortgage is being paid up to date. However, in reality, the homeowner just signed over the deed of their home to a scam company. The worst part about it is that the homeowner won’t know about it until they receive the eviction notice in the mail. Most of the time it’s too late to do anything to save the home.
Red Flags
Look out for a company that calls themselves “Mortgage Consultants”
Be leery of companies that advertise with flyer’s or solicit door to door. Many community groups, including those affiliated with NeighborWorks, offer expert, free help for homeowners, but they often don’t have the funds to advertise their services. It’s easier for the scammer’s to invest in flyers, mailers, even Internet and TV advertising to get their message out
Be mindful if you’re asked to make any upfront payments for services
Don’t make payments directly to a company outside your lender without confirmation from your lender
Springfield, IL, the birthplace of American Foreclosure and Mortgage Relief Foundation (AFaMR), is proud to be a part of such a moving national organization. To show the community’s support and raise money for the foundation’s Foreclosure Prevention Workshops and concert events, seven downtown bars have teamed up with local bands and DJ’s to participate in the Rock the Block event that will be held on Friday, August 6, 2010 beginning at 10p.m.
Exclusive downtown bars, bands and DJ’s sponsoring Rock the Block include:
Just a $10 donation will provide you with an All Access Pass to every Band and DJ at the participating bars for the entire night!
Rock the Block will be a memorable time of fun, entertainment and shared community patronage. So drop what you’re doing on August 6th and extend your support by rockin’ out to your favorite Bands and DJ’s in downtown Springfield at Rock the Block.
Word is getting out! The American Foreclosure and Mortgage Relief Foundation is making a difference in the current mortgage crisis in America. The first concert event, which happened on April 24, 2010 and raised money for a Foreclosure Prevention Workshop in Springfield Illinois that following weekend, was featured on a prominent Chicago Real Estate Blog.
The concert was a sell-out and the Foreclosure Prevention Workshops were well attended. The entire weekend was a huge success. According to Roberta Hahn, the Foundation’s CEO and the one who started the entire program, there were over 650 people in the small venue and as a result of the concert’s success, two sessions of the first Foreclosure Prevention Workshop were held at the Illinois Association of Realtor’s building in Springfield, Illinois. The workshop helped struggling local families in need of mortgage relief.
Along with ticket sales and venue revenue from concessions, the event featured a silent auction along with traditional sponsorships. The lead sponsor, the National Association of Realtor’s, donated $100,000 to help put on the events.
Through this concert event, which featured Tommy Castro, a national blues artist, the foundation was able to raise money and host a Foreclosure Prevention Workshop in Springfield Illinois. The concert and the workshop were both huge successes, well attended, and many local families in Springfield who were challenged with foreclosure were helped.
The article in the Illinois Realtor Magazine showcases the foundation and what we stand for. Our founder and CEO, Roberta Hahn, has worked in several not-for-profit companies in the past and in continuing her legacy of helping American families through their devastating financial situation so that they can remain in their homes and in their mortgages.
The American Foreclosure and Mortgage Relief foundation’s (AFAMR) Rock the House Blues Bash was a complete success. The event was held at the Eagles Club in Springfield IL on April 21. The show which was emceed by Mitch Levinson managing partner at mRELEVANCE, included some local artist as well as acclaimed Blues artists Tommy Castro and Shannon Curfman.
The National Association of Realtors helped to sponsor the event with a $100,000 donation. Thanks to the success of the sold out event which was conceived by AFAMR’s own Roberta Hahn CEO of AFAMR, the organization was able to hold two sessions of it’s first workshop on April 24th at the headquarters of the Illinois Association of Realtors in Springfield, Illinois.
“I am so thankful for all of our sponsors and for the support of a nationwide community to make a difference,” Hahn remarked. “Our motto is, ‘We are America. Together we can!’ That ‘together’ thing is key, because without everybody who participated, we wouldn’t have had such a great success.”
The event was the first of a series of planed events nationwide which will help fund AFAMR’s mission of educating American homeowners on how to prevent and avoid foreclosure on their homes.
Americans are desperate to save their homes. Donna Larson, of Massachusetts, was indicted Friday with a charge of attempted larceny and perjury for allegedly faking the death of her son serving in the military, and eventually faking her own death to avoid foreclosure. Although Donna has allegedly committed some serious crimes to postpone her home being foreclosed on, she felt, as many other Americans do, that there was nothing left to do to save her home.
